The Way to Carnegie Hall
by subversivegrrl
Summary: Follow-up to my story "A Song Incomplete", but can be read as a stand-alone. Written in response to requests for "more practice." To paraphrase Tom Lehrer, this is "smut, and nothing but." Planned as a series of Caryl one-shots, will be added to when I get inspired.
1. The Morning After

**Chapter 1: The Morning After**

* * *

They fell asleep like that, with her back pressed against his side, her head pillowed on his arm, his hand lazily stroking her forearm until it slid, bonelessly, to rest on her wrist. The last thing she remembered was turning her hand to catch his fingers, and bending to press a kiss to his palm before surrendering to sleep.

Carol woke to the feeling of Daryl shifting against her, and sat up as cautiously as she could, hoping to let him drift off again, but he made a little grumbling noise behind her and moved to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Where you goin'? I was comfortable." His voice was muffled against her hip, and she peeked under her arm to see one eye glinting up at her.

"Sorry, sleepy, but duty calls." She slipped off the bunk, breaking his embrace, and turned to plant a soft kiss on his lips. He raised his head, chasing her mouth, but she turned away and began hunting for her clothes, smiling as he groaned in frustration.

"Tease." He turned fully onto his back and kicked the sheet off his legs, stretching.

Carol straightened from where she'd bent to retrieve her underwear and pants, and her mouth went dry at the sight of him. "Jesus, Daryl, now who's being the tease?"

He crooked a sly eyebrow at her and ran his hand over his pecs, scratching at the scattering of hair there, then rubbed it over his belly and slipped it down to tug lightly at his half-hard cock. "Li'l Dix here thinks you should come back to bed and let those folks fend for themselves for once."

She snorted and turned away from him, hiding the flush that had arisen in her cheeks, and stepped into her pants, opting for the quickest coverage. Before she could zip them, he lunged forward and caught her by the waistband, dragging her back into his lap and wrapping his arms around her to trap hers against her body. "Ain't lettin' you go that easy." He rubbed his chin and cheek against her back, making her squirm from the rough tickle of his scruff. "Are you gonna play nice, or do I gotta get tough with you?"

Carol wriggled and slapped half-heartedly at his hands, struggling to get free, laughing, "You and what army, Dixon?" He shifted his grip to free one arm and still keep control of her, bringing his hand around to her ribs. She squeaked "_oh god please no tickling_!" and redoubled her efforts to escape, then collapsed in giggles, panting, "Okay, I give, I give, I'll play nice!"

She could feel him grin against her shoulder blade. "I don't know that I trust you, that was too easy. Now, if I let you go, do you promise not to run away?" She gulped and nodded, giddy, her skin now totally on fire.

His restraining arm loosened and slipped down to hold her easily around the waist, and his knuckles stroked gently over the ribs he'd recently threatened. "_So soft…_" he crooned, and brought the hand around to the front of her, sliding it into the open fly of her pants, caressing her belly. She felt any remaining urge to flee melt away, and she leaned back into his body, letting her head drop against his shoulder. She could feel the mounting evidence of his own desire beneath her, and abandoned all thought of waiting responsibilities.

He turned his head and ran his tongue up the side of her neck, then took her earlobe between his teeth, nibbling lightly at it as he slid one hand up to cup her breast, catching the nipple between thumb and forefinger, rolling it, making her jerk back against him and moan, "_Daryl…_" The hand inside her pants quested further, palming her mound before his fingers slipped in to glide over her slippery flesh.

His voice was quiet as he put his lips to her ear, his hand continuing to stroke her so intimately. "I know there's places you gotta be, and we don't have time for a full repeat of last night; you just stay still and let me make you feel good."

His fingers slid inside her, and his palm pressed firmly against her mound, rocking the heel of his hand into her, his hips beneath her mirroring the motion so she could feel his erection against her ass. Carol curled the tops of her feet around behind his calves, keeping herself from sliding further forward as he thrust against her and pulled her back into him at the same time. Her hand came up to cover the fingers that still teased at her nipple, then moved to her other breast to mimic their action. She felt like she was drowning in sensation, pulled in every direction by their fingers and his lips on the back of her neck.

She gasped, "God, I wish we had a mirror so I could watch us…" and he chuckled softly, "Mm, mm, someone's a dirty girl," and abruptly moved his hand to rub his thumb solidly against her clit.

Carol felt the storm of her orgasm gathering low in her belly and arched hard up into his hand, panting, "Jesus, Daryl, I'm going to come…" and she clenched around his fingers as the wave broke, tumbling her over and over, bolts of sensation rocketing through her and curling her toes and leaving her gasping, limp against him as she fought to get her breath.

She looked down to see her fingernails dug into the forearm that held her securely in his lap. "Oh, god! I'm so sorry, Daryl, I think I really gouged you. I didn't mean to, I was just…"

He snickered, and looked at the half-moon cuts her nails had left. "Just marking your territory, maybe? S'okay, I know you didn't do it on purpose. I kinda like that I made you lose your mind like that. Hell, I've had worse damage just walkin' down the hall."

"Not going to be easy to hide it, though, unless you can find a shirt with sleeves that'll cover it." She ran her fingers over the trail she'd left on his skin.

"Don't figure there's any need to hide it, d'you? I mean, it ain't like people aren't gonna know what we been up to."

"And you're okay with that?" she questioned. "I know you don't like it when people want to get into your personal business."

"Yeah, s'okay. Just 'cause they ask don't mean I gotta answer. You either, but it's your call how much you say."

She nodded, thinking, and realized as she shifted in his lap that he was still half-hard underneath her. "That was an incredible way to start the day, Daryl, but I feel a little guilty…"

He put his fingers over her mouth and said, "None of that, now. That was all for you. I can take care of myself, or maybe I'll just suffer through a bit of blue balls and let you take advantage of all that build-up later, y'think?"

She almost blushed to think of what she'd like to do to help take care of that, but only said, "I'm sure we can think of something" and grinned at him. "By the way, I think if you want to minimize the gossip, you might want to wash up a bit before you come down. Your hands are… well, let's just say there's little question about what you've been doing with them."

He smirked and deliberately rubbed his fingers behind his ears and down his chest, saying, "Nah, I like that I'm gonna smell like you all day." He laughed as Carol caught a breath in surprise, her eyes widening at the thought. "It's the finest perfume I know."


	2. Sauce for the Goose, Pt 1

**Chapter 2: Sauce for the Goose  
**

* * *

Everyone could see they were different with each other. From the new relaxation in Carol's stance when Daryl was near, to the casual-yet-intimate way he touched her arm as he passed - not that anyone expected the two of them to lock lips in the center of the mess hall, and frankly would have found it to be uncomfortably _weird_ if they did - it was obvious they'd finally gotten past whatever obstacles had kept them from each other's bed, and it was difficult to keep that knowledge from informing wide smiles and smug glances among their friends.

The end to months of unspoken tension didn't mean, however, that Daryl suddenly became a cheerful, approachable teddy bear, which became obvious one afternoon when Tyreese congratulated him and slapped him on the back in an attempt at some sort of attaboy, guy-bonding moment.

Backing away from Daryl's slitted, hostile glare and upraised fist, Ty put up his hands and said, "Whoa, man, no call to get ugly with me, I just meant it was great that you finally hooked up with that sweetheart of yours. She's a fine catch."

Daryl lowered his clenched hand and snarled, "She ain't no fuckin' _fish_. And who says anything's goin' on between us?"

"Uh, everyone? I mean, it's there to see, for anyone who's looking. And I think I'm gonna quit talking now, 'cause I don't think either of us wants to waste energy punching the shit out of each other over a misunderstanding, and I'm sorry if I misread things." Tyreese walked away, shaking his head in disbelief.

When Daryl stalked past her with a ferocious look on his face, Carol instinctively set aside what she was working on and followed him up to his cell. Inside, he spun around and growled, "Why the _fuck _can't all them people just mind their own goddamned business for once? It ain't their concern what we're doin'."

"If I remember right, Daryl, you weren't worried about people knowing about us. Or did you change your mind?"

"I _ain't_ worried," he said, sitting on the lower bunk and restlessly pushing his fingers through the knots in his hair. "I don't care who knows, just don't understand why everybody wants to _talk_ about it. Buncha damn gossips, you'd think they'd have better things to do with their time."

"I think that's the point, Daryl," Carol said soothingly, twining her fingers in the strands at the nape of his neck. "There isn't much else to do when you're tending to routine chores, except talk, and I think it's natural for people to to be interested in what's going on in each other's lives. I'm grateful that we're building something here that lets us care enough to be curious.

"I'm sure it's different for you - when you're out hunting, or on a run, you have to focus on what you're doing, and you aren't looking for some way to fill the time. Believe me, if you were stuck washing out people's dirty shorts every day, you'd want some distraction too. They don't mean any harm, so it wouldn't kill you to tell them 'no' in a little nicer way. You don't have to threaten them. Just tell them you'd prefer not to talk about that."

"Yeah, like that's gonna keep 'em away," Daryl said acidly. "I swear, Glenn's the worst one, always lookin' for some dirty detail. He's lucky I like him, otherwise I'da had to throw him off the tower after the second or third time."

"I'll make you a deal, Daryl," Carol offered. "You practice saying, 'that's our private business,' or something along those lines, and I'll see what I can do about Glenn. He really should know better by now than poke the hornet's nest."

* * *

Glenn wilted under Carol's admonishing gaze, and sighed, "I know, I shouldn't mess with him, but it's just so hard to resist. He's always been this tough, untouchable guy, and knowing he's got a soft spot now… it's too tempting not to tease him, just to see him get all riled up."

"Do you _want _to get on Daryl's bad side, Glenn?" Carol asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Because I'm telling you right now, he's fast approaching the ragged edge with you, and he'd hate himself if he lost his temper and hurt you."

"Oh, that's just great. It'd be bad because _he'd_ hate that he clobbered me, not because I got clobbered." Glenn made a face at her, and Carol laughed.

"Well, I'm sorry, Glenn, but you're asking for it! You know damn well how private he is, and you're tempting fate if you think you can keep pushing him like this for your entertainment. It's your choice, but I'm telling you, back off, or he's going to kick your ass. And honestly, I'll have a hard time sympathizing with you if that happens."

* * *

With a truce called on Glenn's campaign to needle Daryl to the point of explosion, and Daryl's own promise to side-step people's questions instead of responding with hostility, the underlying tension diminished quickly, and Carol set her mind back to working on her new relationship. 'Relationship' was an odd word for what they had, she thought - first friendship, growing into an unspoken, unswerving commitment to each other's well-being, and now this unbridled flood of passion that only seemed to strengthen as the days went on - no word as mundane as that could capture what Daryl was to her.

She was sorting through her dirty clothes, making a bundle for the laundry, when she came upon a piece of paper in the pocket of her jacket. "_You're the one true thing I ever knew._" She smiled to herself, remembering the day he'd pressed it into her hand. She had forgotten to ask him what he'd meant by it, but it didn't matter. It was still precious to her.

Setting aside the laundry, she grabbed the pad of paper and pen she kept on the table by the bed and sat on her bunk, trying to think what to put in a note of her own. After a time she grinned, and wrote, "_My day doesn't really start until I've seen your face._" That was one of her own true things. She tore the page free and went down to his cell to tuck it into the pocket of a pair of his pants.

The next afternoon she saw him come through the yard on his way from where he and Rick had been working on a repair project, and as he stopped to light one of his occasional cigarettes, she saw the paper between his fingers as he pulled out his lighter. He stood still, looking down at it in confusion. He opened the note, and a fleeting smile crossed his face. His head whipped around, and his eyes found her where she stood. He nodded, his cheeks turning a little pink, and her answering smile grew wide on her face. He ducked his head as if to hide a grin, and continued on in the same direction. Such a simple thing, but so rewarding.

The next day she decided to be more bold. "_My new favorite sound is when you're inside me, and you say my name._" She put that one in the pocket of the shirt she was mending for him. It was his favorite, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he found it.

She only had to wait a few hours before he showed up at her door, the shirt balled in his hand. "You can't be doin' this to me. What if someone'd been right there when I found this?"

She scrunched her face up and said mischieviously, "Um, maybe you'd have had to explain why you were walking a little strangely?"

He glowered and looked at her accusingly. "You think you're so funny, huh? I got half a mind to make _you_ walk a little strangely, see how you like explainin' that!"

"Don't light that match if you're not prepared to put out the fire, Daryl," she said, challenging him.

He leaned back into the hall and shot a look in both directions, then took two steps and had her wrists in his hands, locking them behind her. His mouth came down savagely on her collarbone, sucking her skin between his lips hard enough to mark her. Her breaths came hard and fast, and she twisted against him, grinding her pelvis on his sudden erection. She was instantly wet for him, and she cried out in his ear. He let go of one wrist and shoved her shirt up to expose her bra, then pulled the cup down and caught her breast in his mouth, swirling his tongue over the nipple and pulling it between his lips. His hand pressed between her legs, stroking the seam of her pants, and she rocked into it, rubbing herself against his fingers.

Just as suddenly as he'd begun, he let her go, and his narrowed eyes roved over her flushed face and body. "That's all you're gettin' from me for now, sweetheart. Enjoy that case of blue whatever-it-is women get." As Carol gasped for breath, he smiled smugly and left her there, high and most certainly not dry. She staggered over to the bunk and collapsed onto it, feeling an empty ache in her abdomen that she knew was not apt to be satisfied by _him_ any time soon.

_I think this is what they call 'being hoist on my own petard',_ she thought to herself, and started to laugh. She considered dropping the sheet over her door and quietly taking charge of her own orgasm, but decided she'd probably deserved having him get her all worked up and then leave her like this. Besides, the build-up would likely make things even more… _satisfying_ the next time. Just as long as that next time wasn't too far off.

* * *

**A/**N: Whoops, that whole "smut & nothing but" thing didn't quite hold here. Sorry for the foreplay, but I won't make anyone wait too long for the next part.


	3. Sauce for the Goose, Pt 2

**Chapter 3: Sauce for the Goose, Part 2**

* * *

Carol stirred, and then jumped as a warm hand slid from her ankle to her calf. "Sshh," Daryl whispered. "Just me." He had been on watch, and Carol had fallen asleep listening for his footsteps. If he was back, it must be sometime after midnight, and the prison was quiet.

"Everything okay out there?" she asked, turning on her side.

"Yeah, it's good. Gettin' cooler, and the dew's heavy. I was pretty well soaked."

"Are you going back to your cell?" Carol tried not to sound too eager for his answer to be 'no.' "If not, you should get out of those wet clothes and under the covers." She pushed herself back to make a space for him, turning back the light blanket.

A smile was in his voice as he said, "Already way ahead of you." He slid in beside her, and she recoiled.

"Eww, Daryl, your skin is clammy." She threw the blanket over him and gingerly eased closer to share her body heat.

"Here, I got an idea." He put an arm around her waist and turned on his back, pulling her to lie over him like a human comforter. She shivered, as much from the sensation of being draped over his body as the damp coolness of his skin. "Yeah, this's much better," he said, lifting his head to kiss her neck. His hands rested on her hips, and his thumbs stroked her skin just above the waistband of her loose shorts. His normal body heat was returning quickly, and Carol felt like she was resting against a radiator instead of his chest.

Elsewhere things were warming as well, and Carol felt his stirring erection against her thigh. She planted her hands on either side of his shoulders, lifting herself up, and shifted so her legs splayed over his hips, her knees brushing the outside of his thighs. She rocked down to press herself against him, feeling him rise to meet her. A groan escaped his lips, and she slowly repeated the motion. "Sure you're not too tired for this, Daryl?"

"Hell, no," he rasped, and grasped her hips harder, increasing the pressure between them.

"Good," she said, and swung herself off him to get out of bed.

"What th' _fuck_? Carol!" Daryl exclaimed, his hands groping for her, fruitlessly.

"I think the phrase is, 'payback's a bitch." She turned and lit the candle on the table so she could see him. She wanted to see him, seeing _her_, to make him just as crazy as he made her.

"_You_," Carol said accusingly, "got me all hot and bothered earlier, and _left me_ like that. I could hardly focus on what I was doing the rest of the day." He didn't even bother to try to hide his grin. "I told you not to start something, but you didn't listen, so now you have to pay the price." She took a deep breath, not quite believing she was going to do this. To be so blatantly, sinfully carnal, and make him watch.

She skinned out of her tank top, and heard the sharp intake of his breath as she reached for her breasts and began playing with her nipples. His eyes were riveted on her fingers as she stroked and twisted them into hard peaks. "I could have gotten off all by myself, you know? But I didn't. I wanted to save it all for you." She ran her nails over her lean stomach, making the muscles there ripple in response, and slid her fingers down inside her shorts to touch herself. "I was so soaking wet I had to change my clothes. Does that make you happy?"

He nodded slowly, breathing deeply as he watched her hand moving under the fabric. Carol bit her lip and closed her eyes, lost in her pleasure, gasping as she hit all her favorite spots. She opened her eyes and withdrew her hand, lifting her fingers to her mouth and licking the tips of them. Daryl's eyes were nearly black with lust. "Jesus, Carol, that is so fucking hot."

"You think so?" she smiled, and turned her back on him before hooking her thumbs into the waist of her shorts, bending at the waist to drop them to the floor, wiggling her bare bottom at him.

Daryl choked out a "_Fuck!_" and reached for her, but she slipped away from him and crossed her hands over herself demurely,. "Think you can finish what you started earlier?" She stepped back toward him and dipped a finger inside herself for a moment before holding it out to his lips.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in between his knees, then sucked the finger deep into his mouth. The sensation of his tongue swirling over her finger sent a bullet of pleasure between her legs, and her head spun dizzily. Daryl's arm came up around her waist to hold her upright.

"Reach up there and hang onto somethin', darlin'," he growled, and swept one of her legs up onto his shoulder. She seized the edge of the upper bunk as he grabbed her ass with both hands, his mouth descending on her, hungrily, driving his tongue into her. She felt like he would devour her, his lips sucking at the tender bud of nerves, his tongue licking fiercely at her flesh, and she let go of the bunk to grip his hair with one hand, pulling it sharply as he nipped at the inside of her thigh.

"Carol, I can't…" Daryl snarled in frustration and planted his hands on her waist, pulling her away from her grip on the bunk and down to straddle his lap. He bent his head to take her nipple in his mouth, and she reached down between them and took him in her hand, guiding him inside her and widening her thighs so she slipped down over him, so deep her breath stuttered.

"Ah, fuck, _Carol_!" Daryl groaned, and a thrill shot through Carol at the sound.

"There it is," she whispered in his ear, and he thrust up into her with a grunt, holding her hard against him, his grip keeping her from moving the way her body told her to.

"Open your eyes, Daryl," she breathed, and deliberately clenched her inner muscles around him. His eyes opened wide at the sensation, and she did it again, and again, rhythmically squeezing him and releasing, the rest of her body totally still. She watched as his face went blank, overwhelmed by the feeling of being clasped inside of her. His eyes got glassy, and he bucked up into her a couple of times and buried his face in her shoulder, muffling a harsh cry as he came abruptly. The feeling of him spilling inside took her with him, a wave of pleasure crashing over her, her body stiffening in his hands before both of them bonelessly slumped back onto the bed.

Carol found herself once more draped over Daryl's chest like a blanket, both of them breathing raggedly. She raised her head and looked into his eyes, which stared unseeingly at the bunk above them.

Finally he cleared his throat. "What the fuck was _that_?" he asked, his voice a little shaky. "I mean… where the fuck did you learn to do… _that_?"

She rolled off of him and pushed at his legs to make him move up and over on the bed, so she could lie next to him. "Um, I'm not sure. Books? and there are exercises to make… _those_ muscles stronger. Did you like it?"

He shuddered, and turned to wrap his arm over her. "I ain't _ever_ felt anything like that. Do all women know about that, or am I just the luckiest sumbitch ever to live?"

"Mm, I don't know," Carol purred, smug at having surprised and pleased him with her little trick. "I haven't ever tried it before now. Felt pretty good on my end, too."

He pressed his forehead against her temple, his lips close to her ear. "Any other secrets you wanna tell me about, or do I just gotta take my chances you're gonna spring somethin' new on me again sometime?"

She smiled, and turned her head to kiss his nose. "I couldn't really say. You know how I am about learning new things, so you'll just have to be on your toes."

"I guess I can live with that. You always did keep comin' up with ways to surprise me, guess I should have expected this'd be no different. Might make me have to work on my game, too, just to keep up with you, although I don't have the least idea how."

"Oh, I look forward to that, Daryl. You're a creative guy, I'm sure you'll think of something."


End file.
